Bognor Regis town councillor Paul Wells resigns over cinema saga

Liberal Democrat Paul Wells was re-elected to the district and town councils in May. On Saturday he quit the town council

Paul Wells has quit his role as chairman of policy and resources, bringing to an end eight years serving the town council.

Cllr Wells, who will remain on Arun District Council, has come under fire from fellow town councillors in recent weeks over plans to build a fourth screen at the Bognor cinema, at a cost of £850,000.

In a strongly worded letter of resignation Cllr Wells said he had ‘lost all confidence and trust’ in the town council.

Mr Wells’ letter of resignation in full reads: “It is with great sadness but maybe of no surprise to you that I tender my resignation from Bognor Regis Town Council with immediate effect, I have not taken this decision lightly as you know.

“In my role as chairman of policy and resources and following a call to defend the council position and under duress I decided to look at the cinema fourth screen issue following issues raised by warring sides.

“Over the last few weeks I have tried to carry out my duties to the best of my abilities in the interest of openness and transparency for the tax payer of the four wards of Bognor Regis.

“Clearly this has been an emotive topic for some and resulted in regrettable comments that have been made against myself and others during this time.

“Although I have fairly broad shoulders and will expect a degree of criticism to a point as a councillor I personally feel that I have now lost all confidence and trust in the town council and can’t and won’t continue to serve on it.

“I have been overwhelmed with the level of support that I have received from local residents and friends that have contacted me directly, they have been extremely supportive of my stance in the interests of residents.

“To those people that have shown disregard to me shame on them.

“I wish the councillors well for the future and hope they can get back on track and do what they are elected to do, which is serving the town’s people, which funnily enough was exactly what I was trying to do.

“Ending on a positive note, I’ve enjoyed my time on the council and hopefully have been able to bring some good things to the table and of course my highlight was serving the town as Mayor in 2013/14, which I will cherish those memories forever.

“I would personally like to thank you for your support as Mayor.

“Kind regards, Paul Wells.”

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